You guys are gonna love this. I can’t remember where I found it, maybe BoingBoing, but I am pleased to share… Tourist Photos! A blogger in New York and one here in DC have created a photoblog full of photos of tourons tourists, or, “people taking photos of people taking photos of people.”

How do the site’s creators know who is and is not a tourist?

We try to ensure that all photos on this site clearly indicate the individual’s tourist state. This is slightly more involved than simply snapping the out-of-town onlooker. Suitcases, fanny packs, city guides, cameras, video-cameras, and stupid t-shirts are often employed in our photos to help certify our pictures as 100% tourist.

And as a random side note, I love the Ludicorp people. When I went to visit the Flickr photostream of the DC contributor, I was greeted with the system maintenance message, “Flickr is having a massage.”

Lucky Flickr.

I was on my way home tonight, listening to the traffic report on WTOP, when I heard the oddest story. Estée Lauder is creating a fragrance for Mayor Williams. The report said it was made with jasmine and citrus oils. The box will, of course, feature a bow tie.

No word on why they’ve chosen our mayor. No word on why they even chose DC. Except, of course, that politics hear stinks, perhaps?

I got nothin’.

One of my favorite weekend stress relievers to hit the Courthouse Farmer’s Market on Saturday morning for fresh produce, and due to a Friday night poker addiction, I haven’t made it out this season yet. I managed to make it this past Saturday, picking up some strawberries (pictured) and some basil seedlings for my garden, as well as some great pictures.

If you haven’t been out to the Farmer’s Market lately, do yourself a favor this weekend and go. Get some fresh tomatoes from Toigo Orchards, or some of their amazing sauces, get some local mozzarella or ricotta from Blue Ridge Dairy, some homemade soap from Mount Harmony Soaps, or something for your garden from any of the garden vendors. You’re supporting local businesses, local people, and you get some sunshine.

Just wanted to share with you an issue that’s near and dear to my heart. I was recently interviewed for a piece on Freedom of Expression in the tiny Middle Eastern island nation of Bahrain.

It was conducted by Mark Glaser for Online Journalism Review, an online publication of the Annenberg School of Communication at the University of Southern California. The full article can be found here. And my own write-up here.

I understand that this is a forum for local issues, but if you believe that the freedom of expression for bloggers is worth protecting the world over, then I hope you’ll understand my deviation from the program.

We now return you to your regularly scheduled blogging.

No photo!

Originally uploaded by tbridge.

That’s right, photography is not permitted at the Pentagon Metro station.

I broke the rules. Bad Tom. Bad. No donut.

So the Nats dealt emotionally sensitive Endy Chavez to the Phillies in exchange for outfielder Marlon Byrd, who arrived in time to start in last night’s game over the Brewers. He ended up going 3-3 with three RBI to make the difference in last night’s 5-2 victory over the Brew Crew.

The Nats are 3-1 on this homestand, and with three games to go, it looks like they’ll meet Capitol Punishment‘s 5-2 goal for the homestand. The Nats will send Vargas, Loaiza and Livan to the mound, hoping to pick up 2 of 3. 2 games back of the first place Braves, and just a half game back of the Marlins. The Nats are 4 games over .500, on pace to win 89 games for the season, some 22 more than they won last season in Montreal. Not so shabby for a team with no ownership, limited funds, and a brand new fanbase.

Does anyone else hate the weather around here right now? One minute it’s perfect – sunny, warm, and a little breezy. The next, the temperature’s down 10 degrees and it’s pouring. The next day, it’s 55 degrees and you keep forgetting it’s May. At this rate, we’re going to go straight from 55 degrees in May to 100 degrees in June.

I knew it was too good to be true.

Every once in a while I take the Metro home. Either my ride is going somewhere else that night, or I’m in a hurry, something that prevents me from making it home my normal way. So I walk down the escalator at Metro Center, slide the gates behind the tourists, weave my way around the slow-moving people down to the lower platform.

Tonight, I got there as a blue line train was pulling in, perfect timing. Sadly it was a short 4 car train, but I slid right into the last door of the last car, a perfect spot for my Pentagon exit to the bus.

The train filled up as we cruised through McPherson and Farragut, and we hit Foggy Bottom with a full load. I stepped off at Foggy Bottom to let passengers on, and retrieved my place as the doors shut. We rode the beneath the Potomac, an experience that always scares me a bit, but not nearly as much as the Trans-Bay Tunnel in San Francisco does. Stopping Rosslyn, it seemed everybody wanted off the train. Being close to the door, I filed off as well. But, it seemed, that my place on the train ended up going to a pair of Japanese tourists.

Right as the Metro system hit a major delay at Metro Center.

It was 20 minutes before I saw another Blue line train.

I knew it was too good to be true.

I’m actually spending the night in Atlanta for some business travel, but wanted to share some of my experiences during the trip today.

Dear M&M Mars:

Don’t get me wrong, I love the free M-Azing bar promotions going on at Metro stops. Who doesn’t love free chocolate? But you are clearly giving your product away because you can’t sell it, so allow me to provide you some free feedback to save you the cost of the focus group.
- Chocolate candies in chocolate bars is not that unique in the candy bar market. Come up with a distinctly cravable bar, and watch your sales rise!
- The chocolate is far too melty, particularly for a bar which begs to be broken apart with the fingers like a Hershey bar. Give me something that stands up to the warmth of my fingertips for the length of time it takes me to break off a piece and put it in my mouth.
- Use better chocolate. This cheap-ass stuff isn’t exactly flying off the shelves.

Love, Tiff

Dear Wall Street Deli in National Airport:

“Cash only” my ass. Here’s a clue: When the closest ATM is on the OTHER side of the security line, maybe accepting credit cards as a payment option for your wildly overpriced sandwiches would be a good business move. What would also be a good business move, if you refuse to leap into the 20th century, would be to post this policy, oh, ANYWHERE along your counter. Perhaps back by the sandwich ordering area would be nice. That way you can avoid what happened today when I unsucessfully tried to buy lunch from your establishment- when I discovered that my profferred debit card wouldn’t be accepted, I put the sandwich that had just been made back onto the counter and walked away. A lost sale, and a wasted sandwich. Screw you too.

Love,
Tiff

Today, our lovely Supreme Court delivered a 5-4 verdict that will allow for wine sales online in Maryland and Virginia. Before today, state laws in 24 states prohibited the sale of wine from out of state vineyards and required a wholesaler to take part in the process. Now, thanks to Justices Scalia, Souter, Bader Ginsburg, Breyer and Kennedy, you may feel free to order that extra case from Napa or the Finger Lakes.